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Most Famous American Scientists & Academics

Science 1,757
United States 23,678
118 TE Thomas Edison Thomas Edison American Inventor 1847–1931
227 NA Neil Armstrong Neil Armstrong American Astronaut 1930–2012
319 RF Richard Feynman Richard Feynman American Physicist 1918–1988
934 LP Linus Pauling American Chemist 1901–1994
1,147 BA Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin American Astronaut b. 1930
1,235 JF John Forbes Nash Jr. John Forbes Nash Jr. American Mathematician 1928–2015
1,392 SC Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar American Mathematician 1910–1995
1,483 PK Paul Krugman Paul Krugman American Economist b. 1953
1,532 BF B. F. Skinner B. F. Skinner American Psychologist 1904–1990
1,599 CS Claude Shannon Claude Shannon American Mathematician 1916–2001
1,808 RC Rachel Carson Rachel Carson American Biologist 1907–1964
1,882 AS Alan Shepard Alan Shepard American Astronaut 1923–1998
2,139 JS Joseph Schumpeter Joseph Schumpeter American Economist 1883–1950
2,357 TP Talcott Parsons Talcott Parsons American Sociologist 1902–1979
2,563 SW Steve Wozniak Steve Wozniak American Inventor b. 1950
2,855 EH Edwin Hubble Edwin Hubble American Astronomer 1889–1953
2,928 TK Ted Kaczynski Ted Kaczynski American Mathematician b. 1942
2,940 FB Franz Boas Franz Boas American Anthropologist 1858–1942
2,962 NW Norbert Wiener Norbert Wiener American Mathematician 1894–1964
3,169 JB John B. Watson American Psychologist 1878–1958
3,214 KT Kip Thorne Kip Thorne American Physicist b. 1940
3,454 HG Har Gobind Khorana Har Gobind Khorana American Geneticist 1922–2011
3,510 RA Robert Andrews Millikan Robert Andrews Millikan American Physicist 1868–1953
4,024 JJ John James Audubon John James Audubon American Botanist 1785–1851
4,235 VB Vannevar Bush American Engineer 1890–1974
4,298 RF Robert Fulton Robert Fulton American Engineer 1765–1815
4,346 JB John Bardeen American Physicist 1908–1991
4,406 NB Norman Borlaug Norman Borlaug American Biologist 1914–2009
4,425 GT Glenn T. Seaborg Glenn T. Seaborg American Chemist 1912–1999
4,634 GB Gary Becker Gary Becker American Economist 1930–2014
4,639 DR Dennis Ritchie American Computer Scientist 1941–2011
4,728 LL Lawrence Lessig Lawrence Lessig American Academic b. 1961
4,882 ET Edward Thorndike Edward Thorndike American Psychologist 1874–1949
5,095 EC Edgar Cayce Edgar Cayce American Research 1877–1945
5,220 WE W. Edwards Deming W. Edwards Deming American Statistician 1900–1993
5,252 TV Thorstein Veblen Thorstein Veblen American Economist 1857–1929
5,292 MG Murray Gell-Mann Murray Gell-Mann American Physicist 1929–2019
5,540 AA Albert A. Michelson Albert A. Michelson American Physicist 1852–1931
5,579 CB Clara Barton Clara Barton American Nurse 1821–1912
5,813 TM Terence McKenna Terence McKenna American Botanist 1946–2000
5,994 EM Edgar Mitchell Edgar Mitchell American Astronaut 1930–2016
6,433 LA Louis Agassiz Louis Agassiz American Geologist 1807–1873
6,555 IF Irving Fisher Irving Fisher American Economist 1867–1947
6,815 GW George Westinghouse George Westinghouse American Engineer 1846–1914
6,880 LH Lewis H. Morgan Lewis H. Morgan American Anthropologist 1818–1881
6,978 JH John Harvey Kellogg John Harvey Kellogg American Physician 1852–1943
7,049 GA Gordon Allport Gordon Allport American Research 1897–1967
7,131 MP Michael Porter Michael Porter American Economist b. 1947
7,160 GW George Washington Carver George Washington Carver American Botanist 1864–1943
7,476 EL Ernest Lawrence Ernest Lawrence American Physicist 1901–1958
See all 152,953 rankings →

Ranked by cross-verified academic notability — how it works

By the numbers

Inside the United States Scientists & Academics

1,757 notable people in this slice of the dataset.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous the united states scientists & academics born in each.

Notable Births by Decade

Notable births among the United States Scientists & Academics peaked in the 1900s with 188 people.

What the United States Scientists & Academics Are Known For

Click any row to drill into that filter.

Botanist are the United States Scientists & Academics's biggest group — 7% of all notables (127).

The United States Scientists & Academics over-index on astronaut39.8× the global rate.

  1. Botanist127
  2. Physician120
  3. Engineer116
  4. Physicist114
  5. Mathematician111
  6. Chemist100
  7. Academic93
  8. Inventor89
  1. Astronaut3239.8×
  2. Educator5133.6×
  3. Biochemist3032.2×
  4. Psychologist6132.2×
  5. Inventor8926.9×
  6. Computer Scientist1826.1×
  7. Zoologist5525.9×
  8. Sociologist4121.1×

City Hot Spots

Cities that over-produce the United States Scientists & Academics compared to the world average — multiplier shows how much more.